Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s sixth feature follows Bazil (Dany Boon), a video rental store assistant who takes a bullet to the head in a bizarre accident. Out of hospital, he returns to the store only to find out that he has been replaced. Out of work and evicted from his flat, he is forced to sleep on the streets until he is taken in by a strange community of misfits who live in a scrap heap. With their help, he plans revenge on the weapons manufacturers who were responsible for his injury.
For Micmacs, Jeunet draws heavily on silent comedy, and is helped no end by the fact that facially, Boon’s Bazil is often reminiscent of Rowan Atkinson playing Mr. Bean at his most bewildered. There are a few gloriously funny moments, some delightful set pieces and, as always with Jeunet, it is visually magnificent throughout, which ensures it’s never boring. There’s always something to admire, but there’s also something missing this time out. Micmacs has neither the dark, satisfying bite of Jeunet’s work with Marc Caro (Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children), nor the unashamedly gooey heart of Amélie or A Very Long Engagement (let’s just pass over Jeunet’s sole American venture, Alien Resurrection, in silence).
In this respect, Micmacs reminded me most of Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited. Both films display all the superficial traits of their director’s previous work, but seem to forget that there needs to be some substance behind this style. The problem here is that Jeunet seems so concerned with incidental quirkiness that he’s forgotten the story he’s supposed to be telling. Like Anderson with The Darjeeling Limited, with Micmacs Jeunet focuses for the first time entirely on his idiosyncrasies rather than using them to lend further colour to an already enchanting tale. Sure, there’s a very basic anti-weaponry theme in here somewhere, which is laudable, but it’s executed with no nuance or subtlety whatsoever which makes it rather cloying, especially at the film’s rather lazily written conclusion.
True, Jeunet’s still making more visually spectacular flights of fancy than perhaps any other director since Terry Gilliam at his late 80s-early 90s peak, but I’d hesitate to recommend this one before any other of his French films.
Disappointingly, there’s only one special feature on the DVD, but at least it’s a good one. It’s an interview with Jeunet, who comes across as warm, intelligent and thoroughly engaging, which makes me feel a bit sorry that I didn’t like his film more.
Overall Verdict: Not the best introduction to Jean-Pierre Jeunet for newcomers, and skeptics won’t be converted. But there’s more than enough self-consciously quirky fun here to satisfy his fans.
Special Features:
Interview with Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Reviewer: Tom René